1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new cooking apparatus and to a new door latching construction for such a cooking apparatus as well as to a new method of making such a cooking apparatus and to a new method of making such a door latching construction.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a cooking apparatus comprising a frame means, a cooking chamber means carried by the frame means, heating means carried by the frame means and being adapted to be actuated to heat clean the chamber means, switch means for permitting the heating means to heat clean the chamber means only when the switch means is actuated, a movable door means carried by the frame means for opening and closing the cooking chamber means, a movable latch member carried by the frame means and being movable between a non-latching position thereof that permits the door means to be opened and closed and a latching position thereof that locks the door means in a closed position and actuates the switch means if the door means is in a closed position at the time the latch member is moved to the latching position thereof, and drive means carried by the frame means and having moving means operatively interconnected to the latch member to move the latch member between the positions thereof only when the moving means of the drive means moves from a first position thereof to a second position thereof, the drive means comprising a cylinder means having opposite ends and a movable piston means extending from one of the opposite ends and comprising the moving means operatively interconnected to the latch member, the drive means having actuating means to extend the piston means so as to be adapted to move the latch member from its non-latching position thereof to its latching position thereof when the actuating means is actuated for a door locking operation thereof. For example, see the copending patent application of Thomas M. Martin, David D. Martin, and Eric V. Russ, Ser. No. 229,378, filed Apr. 18, 1994.
It is also known to provide an electro-thermal drive means wherein the same comprises a cylinder means having opposite ends and a movable piston means extending from one of the opposite ends thereof, the drive means having a compression spring means tending to retract the piston means from its extended condition whenever the actuating means of the drive means is actuated to extend the piston means to an extended position thereof and is then deactuated. For example, see the U.S. patent to Huebscher, U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,528; the U.S. patent to Stropkay, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,427 and the U.S. patent to Birli, Sr. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,429.
Also see the U.S. patent to Genbauffe et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,996 for a latching construction of a cooking apparatus wherein the latch member is moved by a drive means that comprises an electrical motor.